Shloka 71
शरवृष्टिं च तां कर्णो दूरात् प्राप्तामशातयत् । दृष्टवा च विहतां मायां कर्णेन भरतर्षभ
śaravṛṣṭiṁ ca tāṁ karṇo dūrāt prāptām aśātayat | dṛṣṭvā ca vihatāṁ māyāṁ karṇena bharatarṣabha ||
Sañjaya said: Karṇa shattered that oncoming shower of arrows even from a distance. And when he saw that the stratagem had been broken by Karṇa, O bull among the Bharatas, (the attacker’s) illusion and device stood defeated—signaling that sheer martial steadiness had overcome cunning artifice in the press of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the battlefield ethic of the epic, steadfast skill and presence of mind can neutralize deceptive tactics; the verse highlights how disciplined martial competence (kṣātra-tejas) can overcome an opponent’s māyā (stratagem).
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa, even from a distance, breaks an incoming barrage of arrows; seeing his device/illusion thwarted by Karṇa, the attacker’s stratagem is effectively defeated.